IT Life: Delivering Cloud Content Quickly

Gautam Rishi, has been in the IT industry for ten years, and is now head of EMEA business development at content delivery specialist CDNetworks.

Rishi rates Richard Branson and wants to see everyone using the cloud to its fullest extent. Previously, he’s worked at Empirix and 1E.

Getting content out to clients

What has been your favourite project so far?
I would have to say that helping our clients reach China with their websites and applications is extremely rewarding.

Two recent projects that stand out are Saxo Bank and Thomson’s Benefits.  With Saxo Bank, we were able to eliminate latency-induced dropped trades in China, helping them to increase revenue in this region by millions per day.  For Thomson’s Benefits, their customers with employees in China can now provide the same user experience with the benefits platform as in Europe.

Another application development customer we are currently working with was also able to break down technology barriers; subsequently resulting in a 25 percent increase in customers originating from China and increasing their overall application uploads.

What tech were you involved with ten years ago?
I was developing a website for an online recruitment agency, using a combination of PHP, SQL and coding in HTML – a far cry from today’s recruitment websites that now offer an array of features, including video conferencing and mobile applications.

What tech do you expect to be using in ten years’ time?
I expect mobile devices to continue increasing in popularity, with new mobile products replacing standard devices such as laptops and desktops. We are already witnessing this shift with the rise of the tablet, effectively laying the foundations of a mobile, connected world.

Up the Amazon

Who’s your tech hero?
Jeff Bezos, the Founder and CEO of Amazon.com. He was able to recognise the gap within the retail market at the time and build a brand that has not only managed to fill the gap but has also expanded into a business that dictates trends within the e-commerce industry. At a young age he had the foresight to build his business and brand to what it is today, expanding from an online book store to one of the largest online retailing stores for a variety of products.

Who’s your tech villain?
I wouldn’t be able to name one specific person but instead I would have to say that my tech villains are people who do not welcome change and technology; individuals that do not accept technology into their lives and that do not recognise its benefits.

What’s your favourite technology ever made? 
The Internet – it has revolutionised the way we work, interact and carry out our daily activities. I tend to use the Internet the most on a daily basis and would have to say that if I had to refrain from using technology I would much rather give up my mobile phone than the Internet any day.

What is  your budget outlook?
Growing – more companies today are willing to invest in technology compared to a few years ago. Companies have recognised the benefits that this type of investment could have on their business, in many cases allowing them to cut costs and increase their revenue.

Coing galactic

Apart from your own, which company do you admire most and why?
It would have to be The Virgin Group – they have been able to focus on the business fundamentals; placing the customer and the quality of service first coupled with very strong branding.  Virgin has never been scared to move across different industries and to take on new challenges; in fact they have moved into major industries including IT, finance, travel and tourism, and are now even at the forefront of space travel.  I think organisations like Virgin show that if you have big aspirations, ambitions and work hard, you can achieve anything.

What’s the greatest challenge for an IT company/department today?
I think one of the main challenges for an IT department would have to be keeping up to speed with the trends and expectations of end users. People have become increasingly tech savvy and have developed an in-depth understanding of the products that they use and the products that they want to work with; therefore IT departments need to keep up with consumerisation and the high paced world of the technology industry.

To Cloud or not to Cloud?
Cloud every time; the reason being that cloud is able to offer end users multiple benefits and cost savings including business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities.

What did you want to be when you were a child?
When I was younger I wanted to become an astronaut but then changed my mind and thought that I would prefer being a lawyer. I actually started a law degree but after two years decided that IT suited me better so I changed my course to business and IT instead.

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